Stages
by c00kiefic
Summary: He is her white knight and she is his fairy girl. Post season 8.
1. Chapter 1

Stages

He is her white knight and she is his fairy girl. Post season 8.

**I like to think of this as a continuation of the themes in Black Dog. I wasn't going to start another story but this and a much, much happier story I'm in the middle of writing just wouldn't let me go. The next chapter is done and will be posted in a couple days to give you all time to read and review this one. It's one of the most emotionally brutal things I've written, and I'm the person who made Jackie drown!**

**Thank you to my readers and reviewers. You're all amazing and I couldn't do it without you.**

**It should go without saying that this isn't owned by me.**

**The lyrics separating sections are all from various songs. Credit is given. –please pay attention to these as they help tell the story.**

**It should be noted that this is a character study, so I'm not going to worry about the legalese which was taken from having seen every episode of Law and Order ever.**

**On with the story...**

_A one-way street, she's walking to end of the line- Concrete Blonde, __Tomorrow, Wendy__. _

Jackie Burkhart watches silently as the police drag her father off in handcuffs. She hugs herself as they lifted the gurney and slid the black bag containing Pamela Burkhart into the coroner's van. She says nothing as one of the men gives her a number to call the next day to find out the cause of death and to make arrangements. She doesn't need them to tell her how her mother died. She knows. She had seen the blood, the gun.

The detectives want a statement. Want to question her, want to make sure she wasn't involved.

"I came home to find my mother on the floor and my father was standing over her." She wonders what's going to happen to her dad now.

"Did he say anything to you?" the man who asks her is young, desperate to solve his first case and it shows in his tone.

"I don't even think he knew I was there."

"Do you live here?"

What kind of question was that? "No, I was just visiting."

Jack Burkhart was in shock they said. He was barely conscious of what he had done.

Jackie turns her head a little and sees the news reporters with their cameras. It suddenly feels like two years ago all over again only worse.

The police declare the Burkhart property to be a crime scene and tell Jackie she needs to vacate while they do their investigation. She doesn't know why it matters, it's not like she lives there anymore anyway. Someone advises her to see one of the EMTS but she sneaks away, for the first time in her life, not wanting the attention.

_So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been- Phil Collins, In the Air Tonight. _

This was the burn to end all burns. Perfect family first ruined by embezzlement and bribery, and then destroyed with murder. Some would say that Jackie Burkhart got what was coming to her.

Not one of those people really knew Jackie Burkhart. Those people watched together in horror as a news reporter tried to get into Jackie's face. Those people saw the redness in her eyes, the way she kept looking around and hugging herself. Those people saw how Jackie was struggling to keep it together.

Those were people who saw Steven Hyde leave.

_Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me- Coldplay, The Scientist. _

Sometimes Steven Hyde wonders if anyone else has noticed how close Jackie is to breaking down. It's actually kind of fitting that he be the one to see it, given that it's partially, okay, mostly his fault. He wants to shake her and demand that she snap out of it. Be Jackie again.

He knows he doesn't have the right to say anything. Instead, he finds ways to hang out with her. Sure, they're usually joined by Fez or the new guy, Randy but never alone.

They never talk about Sam, or Chicago, or their relationship. It's almost as though those things had never happened. It's like they're both trying to forget.

So as he watches her on the news, staring at the direction of the coroner's van with her mother's bloodied, dead body inside of it, he knows that this is it; this is the thing that will set her off.

He's lost her before; he's not going to lose her again. Not like this.

_We could steal time, just for one day__- David Bowie- Heroes._

She's alone when he finds her. She's sitting on the ground, overlooking the lake, contemplating what she's going to do next when he pulls his car up next to her, gets out and sits next to her.

"My shrink keeps asking me about you." It's an odd hello, even for her.

He blinks. "Your shrink?"

"Donna's, but he wants me to talk about you, I bet that's going to change." Her voice his laced with sarcasm.

He notices the blood on her hands.

"You're bleeding." He takes her hand, concerned, but she shrugs him off.

"Not my blood."

"Jackie…"

"Not right now." Jackie puts her finger on his lips. "Right now I just want to sit here with a friend, okay?"

On any other day, he'd comment about the friends' remark, but today is not any other day. Instead, he just let's her scoot closer to him and they sit together.

_I won't be made useless or be idle with despair- Jewel, Hands. _

Kitty Forman glanced over at her husband. He was sitting in his chair, his eyes glued to the T.V. His face was expressionless but Kitty knew what he was feeling. He was angry, probably the angriest he had ever been. His hands were clenched together and the vein in his forehead was close to popping. She shot her son, Eric a look to tell him not to make any of his sarcastic comments, but even Eric wasn't speaking.

At least Steven had gone to get Jackie. He would bring Jackie here and she'd be with the people who loved and cared for her. She would be with her family.

_We'd Share Each Other Like an Island- Snow Patrol, Set Fire to the Third Bar_

Donna went into the kitchen with Mrs. Forman to help her cook. She couldn't watch anymore. Couldn't watch as the news reporters speculated on what drove Jack Burkhart to murder his own wife, couldn't watch as they mentioned Jackie like an afterthought.

She knew she had been guilty of the same crime, but Jackie really was her best friend and even though she never showed it, she was grateful Jackie being in her life.

Still, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. Hyde had taken one look at the news and had left to get Jackie while she had just sat there. Even after everything that had happened between them, he was still her protector. Donna wasn't sure what her role was yet. She knew that Jackie hated being coddled and would want to pretend that everything was fine, but how was that even possible?

_It's the same the whole world round. - XTC, Dear God _

"Dad?"

"I'd be careful what you say." Red gives Eric a warning.

"I know, I'm just wondering what's going to happen now."

Red looks his son. "I don't know." He admits. "I guess it'll depend on what Jackie told the police."

"But from what it looked like, it looked like Jack Burkhart did it."

"Well," Red sighs. "In that case, they'll arrest Jack and put him on trial for Pam's death and he'll go back to prison."

"And Jackie?"

"She'll have to testify."

It was no secret that Red Forman considered Jackie to be his favorite of his son's friends. She was handy with a car, she was bright, opinionated, a real go getter. He loved Jackie like a daughter and seeing her get trampled on the past year had been horrific to watch.

It was his fault really, for letting Steven stay with Sam. He'd never begin to be able to make it up to her.

_Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief- Crowded House, Don't Dream it's over. _

"Um, so, everyone is back at the Formans." Hyde says. "We uh, we were going to throw you a surprise party."

"Really?" Jackie asks. "I thought you didn't…"

"Of course we did." Hyde replies. "We did and we do and we will."

They both know they're not having a conversation about birthdays.

"Well thank you." She says sincerely. "I guess we should go then."

"Only if you're ready." He tells her.

"Okay, um, can we stop by my place for a minute? I want to take a shower and put on some new clothes."

He gives her a smirk and a mock salute which makes her smile for the first time in weeks. "Sure thing, dear."

_We've been poisoned by these fairy tales- Don Henley, End of the Innocence._

The cake was mocking him, Fez was sure of it. He was jealous really, it had been Hyde's idea to throw the party for Jackie and get her the unicorn cake and now, now it was staring up at him with its blue icing eye. At first, he had wanted nothing more than to sneak a taste, to dig into the delicious white frosting.

How was Jackie going to look at unicorns ever again when all of her innocence was gone?

_Well I dug you up a rainbow- Our Lady Peace, Bring back the sun._

Hyde sits on the couch in Jackie and Fez's apartment, waiting for Jackie to finish taking her shower. Bored, he starts going through the large stack of magazines on the coffee table. They're mostly Vogues and Cosmos, but soon he finds a bunch that aren't magazines at all.

They're college guides. University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, NYU, Berkley, Texas, Florida, there are guides and applications to nearly twenty colleges around the country.

He swallows and puts everything back like he found it. He's not sure what upsets him the most, the fact that she was going to go away, or the fact that now she can't.

"Hey, you ready?"

He looks up at her, she's showered and dressed and he knows that nothing is ever going to be the same between them ever again.

"Yeah, uh, I called the Formans, Kitty says she expects you to stay there, just until…"

Jackie nods, "Oh, okay. I guess I'll go pack some stuff then."

Surprisingly, Jackie packs light. Just two suitcases of clothes, make up and other necessities. He sees her looking at her collection of unicorns and other stuffed animals. On her bed.

"What is it?" He asks carefully.

Hesitantly, she picks one up. It's a small pink elephant that he won her once at Six Flags. They had argued the day before, just like they had argued every day in the last three months of their relationship but then the next day she had suggested they go to Six Flags and he had won her that stupid pink elephant as a peace making gesture.

She gives it a look before stuffing it under her arm.

Of everything she could have chosen she picks the damn elephant.

_I pour the drinks and crush the flowers- Pet Shop Boys, What Have I Done to Deserve This._

Jackie's aware that she's being embraced. Strong arms are enfolding her from all directions.

"Can't breathe." She gasps and they let go and mutter their apologies.

"So, I heard you guys were throwing me a party." She says cheerfully before heading into the living room.

The group all look at Hyde lost. He just shook his head.

"Kids, do you know what the five stages of grief are?"

Donna, Eric and Hyde all nod at Kitty. Fez shakes his head, confused.

"Sweetie, they're the stages that people go through when something bad happens. I think Jackie is in stage one, denial."

"She won't talk about it." Hyde states.

"And no one is going to make her." Red adds. "Got it?"

They nod one by one and go to join their friend in the living room.

She opens her presents eagerly, trying to cast out the memory of today. Beside her, Donna's trying not to shake and Eric just has his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, this is beautiful." She holds up the tangerine colored scarf Donna got her.

"You like it?"

"I love it!" Jackie claims and hugs her friend. "Okay, what's next?"

"Cake!" Kitty exclaims. She and Donna go into the kitchen, a minute later they come out with Jackie's unicorn cake.

"Oh wow!" Jackie says. "I can't believe you got me a unicorn cake!"

"It was Hyde's idea." Eric tells her.

Jackie hugs Hyde. "Thank you!"

"Eh, it's nothing." He says. "I just saw it in the bakery window and knew your birthday was coming up. Really, it's not a big deal."

Jackie just smiles at him. "Okay."

For the rest of the night, they eat and drink, and make each other laugh and it's almost as though nothing's wrong.

_Now well try to stay blind, to the hope and fear outside, Duran Duran, Come Undone._

Hours later, Jackie yawns and Kitty orders her to go sleep in Laurie's room. She doesn't say anything but thank you.

"There you go." Kitty says to Jackie as she helps Jackie undress and get into some old flannel pajamas.

"Thank you, Mrs. Forman." Jackie says, so softly that Kitty barely hears it.

"Oh sweetie." Kitty can't help but hug Jackie. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. Let's just go get you cleaned up, okay?"

"Okay." She follows Jackie into the bathroom.

"Oh Red." Kitty sighs and lets her husband hold her in his arms as soon as they're in their own bedroom. "One of my babies is broken and I don't know how to fix it."

"We'll figure it out." He promises her as he kisses the top of her head.

Her only comfort is that he's usually right.

_It's like the whole world's out of sync- Go-Gos, Head over Heels. _

The rest of them sit in the basement, silent.

"Someone should call Kelso." Eric says finally.

"I already did." Donna says. "He said he'll come tomorrow."

"Good, Kelso… Kelso…he should be here." Eric says with a tone of finality.

"Guys, what… what do we do about Jackie?" Fez asks. "Miss Kitty explained about grief but…what do I say to her?"

"You say I'm sorry and then you ask if she needs anything." Donna answered, "I guess."

"I don't know if there's anything we can do, Fez." Eric tells him.

"This isn't going to be a rehash of the give them space argument is it?" Hyde asks, rolling his eyes.

"No." Eric responds, "I think space is probably the worst thing we can give Jackie right now. I just don't know if making her talk about it is the right thing to do either."

There's more silence as they all contemplate Eric's words. He's right, there has to be a balance.

_She always breaks my heart in two, it happens every time, The Everly Brothers, When Will I be Loved._

"Can I talk to you?" Fez asks Hyde privately.

"Uh, sure." Hyde says, dreading what Fez is about to ask.

"You…went after Jackie after you saw her on the news."

Hyde nods, slowly. "Yeah."

"Can I ask you why?"

_No. ask me anything but that. _

He shrugs. "It just looked like she needed help."

"Oh, even though you hate her, you still went."

He doesn't hate Jackie. He never has and never will. Instead he says. "Yeah." Because right now it's still easier to pretend.

_You make me feel like I'm whole again- The Cure, Love Song._

She comes to him in the middle of the night. Laurie's bed is too strange and every time she closes her eyes she sees her mother's eyes, wide open and surprised looking at her from the floor.

He doesn't say anything. He just moves over and gives her some room.

She can almost swear she feels him kiss the back of her head.

He holds her while she dreams and when she wakes up sobbing, he turns her over so that she's facing him and rubs his hands over back soothingly as he lets her cry into his chest.

He told her once that he wasn't that guy. He wasn't the knight that she decreed him as, but honestly, he likes being the guy Jackie runs to. He knows that others don't understand it, hell, even he doesn't understand it, but he understands enough to know what he and Jackie have is more than what most people get. He's lucky that he has her. That even through all of his fuck ups, she hasn't stopped caring about him. Hell, she was even there when Sam left. She had just sat there and listened to him yell; she didn't even say a word, even though he knew they were on the edge of her lips, just waiting to spew out. She was just there, listening.

The next day she decided she was in love with Fez and his heart had broken all over again.

"Steven?" She asks quietly.

"Yeah, babe?"

"What did the news say?"

He doesn't want to tell her.

"Steven?" she asks again.

"They said that you found your mom and your dad standing next to her."

"Oh." Jackie says after a minute. "Did they say where?"

"No." he's not going to ask her.

"That's good… um, did they say anything else?"

He contemplates lying to her, but knows that's not what she deserves. "They said that no one's sure what role you had."

Jackie squeezes her eyes shut tight. "Oh god, they think that?"

He pulls away from her so he can look into her eyes. "No one here thinks that. You know the media; they're just trying to sensationalize an already sensational story. They're jerks."

Soon, Jackie falls asleep.

_And all the lights that lead us there are blinding- Oasis, Wonderwall. _

A detective shows up the next day wanting Jackie to go down to the police station.

"Is something wrong?" Red asks.

"No, no." The detective says, placating Red. "We just wanted to clear up some details of miss Burkhart's statement."

"Can we do it here?" She asks quietly.

The detective shakes his head, "Sorry, policy, someone can come with you if you want though?"

Jackie looks up at Red. "Will you come with me?"

The older man gives her a slight smile and agrees. He kisses his wife on the cheek and begins to follow the detective and Jackie out of the door. Before leaving, he turns around and says, "I'll watch her." The words are directed to Hyde.

_The one in the hat, that's me- Ani Difranco, Studying Stones._

The interview room is cold and Jackie can't stop shivering. Red is sitting calmly beside her and the detective is an older gentleman who kind of reminds her of Barney Miller which is oddly comforting. There's a tape recorder on the table and he has a pad and pen in front of him.

"Does she need a lawyer?" Red asks, thinking of the reporters speculation into Jackie's involvement.

The detective waves him off. "No, no, Jackie's alibi checked out, she's fine." "I'd like to go over what happened yesterday if that's okay with you." The detective says kindly.

Jackie nods, "Okay." She really doesn't want to do this.

"What time did you arrive at your parent's mansion?" She knows they're establishing not only the time of death, but her whereabouts as well.

"Around four."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I had gotten my hair done at three that day and it usually takes forty five minutes, and then I drove straight to their house. It's a fifteen minute drive."

The detective scribbles something down onto the note pad. "Okay, tell me what you were doing there."

"It was my birthday." Jackie tells him. "My father has been out of prison for a month, and my mother came back from Mexico two weeks ago. He, my father, called me that day and said he had a surprise for me."

"A surprise? Do you by any chance know what that is?"

Jackie shakes her head no. "No."

"That's fine," the detective reassures her. "Just tell me what happened after you entered your parent's house. Take your time."

Jackie lets out a breath and beings talking. It's automatic and to both Red and Detective Brewster, it sounds far away and emotionless.

"I yelled for them when I came in… I knew they were home because their cars were in the driveway, and I could hear music playing."

"What was the music?"

"The Beatles, I think." Jackie says. She wonders if she'll ever be able to listen to them again. She slowly continues. "But I couldn't hear my parents. I walked around the house, searching for them. The housekeeper, Natalia was gone, I think."

"You think?"

Jackie shrugs, "I'm not sure. I haven't seen her for a while but I just assumed she had the day off."

Detective Brewster makes a special note of the information. "Go on."

"I went up the stairs, thinking they might be in their bedroom. I was about to knock on the door when I saw that my room was open."

"You normally keep your door closed?"

Jackie nods, "Yes." "But it was open…not all the way but just enough so that I could see the light was on. I went and opened it all the way… My father was standing in front of the doorway. He's a large man so I couldn't see in.

"It's okay, Jackie." Red consoles her. "Just tell him what you saw."

"I couldn't see behind my father at father so I tapped him on the shoulder, just to get his attention."

"What happened then?"

"He moved."

"Jack responded to your touch?"

"Yes, but not…he didn't say anything. I was just able to get around him. I…" she doesn't want to do to this. She doesn't want to remember.

"Her eyes were open." Jackie says in a rush.

"Your mothers?"

"Yes."

"Where was she?"

"She was on the floor. There was blood… coming out of from behind her head, and some more on the front of her shirt."

"_Mommy?" "Mom?" She felt for a pulse. "Mommy?" _Jackie shakes the memory from her head.

"And what was your father doing?"

"I turned to him… he was standing there. I think I said something, and I think he blinked at me, and then he raised his gun."

"He pointed the gun at you?"

Jackie quickly shakes her head. "No, no, he just lifted it. Then he dropped it to the floor and started crying."

"What time did you call 911?"

"Right after that."

"And did Jack say anything to you?"

"No. He didn't say anything."

The man nods and puts down his pen. "That should be okay for now. Thank you for coming in."

Red nods. "Jackie will be staying at our house, just let us know if you need anything else."

"I will." The detective promises.

CUT

**AN- I really need to stop killing off Pam. Maybe I should start killing off Sam instead...oh frick. Anya was right about those damn bunnies.  
**

**P.S- If you want part two of Denial, you got to ask for it! I'll even put it up tomorrow if you ask politely.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Thank you. insert standard disclaimer here.

* * *

_Now well try to stay blind, to the hope and fear outside, Duran Duran, Come Undone._

Jackie kisses Red on the cheek and says she's going to go take a nap in Hyde's room. Upon hearing their arrival, the others trail in from the kitchen and watch along with Red as Jackie goes down to the basement before turning all their eyes on him.

"Red?" Kitty knows that look. After he had come back from the war, he'd get that far away look and she would know instinctively that he wasn't with her, but back on the battle field.

He doesn't say anything. Instead he opens the refrigerator and pulls out a pack of beer and hands on to everyone except Kitty, who he turns to and says,

"You might want to pour yourself a glass of wine."

She gives him a questioning look but doesn't say anything as she obeys Red's suggestion.

"So, dad, what happened?" Eric asks.

"Drink." Is all Red says as he cracks open his own beer and slugs it down.

He waits till everyone is done.

Then he tells them.

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't reprimand Eric for using the F word, doesn't say anything to oh my gods and the what the hells, he doesn't even look at Kitty who's shaking silently beside him. His focus is on Steven.

His back is turned from the others and he's looking outside, but Red can see the way his back is tight, the way his knuckles are becoming red just from being squeezed to hard. He knows exactly what his surrogate son is feeling, because he's feeling it too.

What he does do is follow him outside after Steven walks out, telling the kids and Kitty to wait.

"I wouldn't drive if I were you." He tells him who is standing at the El Camino, his hand on the door handle.

Slowly, Hyde lets go of the handle and walks away from the car. He's not sure what to do though. He knows what he wants to do.

Red speaks softly. "I've got some beer in the garage, how about you and me sit down and have one?"

Hyde knows what Red is doing, and is silently grateful. They're both silent as they drink two beers apiece before Hyde can't contain himself any longer.

"I want to kill him."

"Son, the police have him." It's the only thing that's keeping Red from killing Jack Burkhart himself.

Hyde stands up from the box crate he's sitting on and turns to Red. "In her bedroom, Red! In front of all of her unicorns and Peter Frampton posters and on her pink carpet!" he yells.. "How…So what I'm supposed to just let the police do their job? Great."

"No." Red says. "What you're supposed to do is…"

"Is what, Red? Tell me what am I supposed to do? Go be with her? I can't…I can't be with her when I'm feeling like this and I won't stop feeling like this until Jack Burkhart is dead."

Red knows. Dear flipping God does he know. Years from now when he looks at Jackie, he's going to see the image of her standing over her dead mother, her father pointing his gun at her. He doesn't care if it was only for a second, it happened.

Red begins to talk, "Once, when she was about five or so, I was in her neighbor hood and I could see her playing in the back yard of her house, alone. She was wearing a cute little pink dress exactly like one Laurie used to have, and she was holding a bunch of tiny white clovers as she hummed the wedding march and pretended to be getting married to one of her teddy bears. Inside her house I could hear her parents yelling and I wondered how such a sweet looking girl could still play like that. Moments later I saw her mother come out and drag Jackie back in, yelling at her for getting dirty."

"Because Burkhart girls don't get dirty." Hyde finishes.

Red nods. "Wait here." He orders Hyde before walking out of the garage and back into the house.

"Red?" Kitty asks hesitantly. He gives her a small nod that says it's okay and she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Eric?" He says. "Come with me."

Eric just shrugs at Donna and follows his dad back out into the garage.

"Sit down." Red commands.

Eric sits on another box and waits for what his father is about to say.

"The girls…they've been through a lot, especially from you two." Red tells them. There's no argument from either of them. "And Lord knows they deserve better, but they are yours and it's your jobs to protect them."

Eric hates to be the one who has to ask, but he knows he has to. "What if it's too late? What if we can't?"

Hyde looks up at Red, wanting to know the same thing.

"Then you be men and help them get through it. It might be too late to stop what happened to Jackie, or all the times you've fucked up with Donna, but from now on, you go running when she calls your name and you hold her when she needs holding, kiss her when she needs kissing and you get off your lazy ass and marry that girl." He says to Eric before turning to Hyde. "And you, I don't care what your beef is with Jackie, none of that matters anymore, got it?"

Hyde doesn't even need to be told.

_If anything could ever be this good again- Foo Fighters, Everlong. _

When they go back into the house, Jackie is on the phone while Kitty and Donna stand near her. Bob is sitting at the table, watching them.

"What?" Red starts to ask.

"She's on the phone with the coroner's office." Bob whispers.

A minute later Jackie hangs up and sighs. "They said it'll be a couple days before they can release her."

"Did they say anything else?" Kitty asks cautiously. She's gone through this before, she knows how it works.

"Uh, yeah, he said that they're not sure how she died."

"They're not sure?" Donna asks.

"Uh, I guess after she was shot she hit her head, so they're still trying to figure out which one actually killed her."

"Oh." Donna doesn't know what to say.

"Jackie, honey, would you like something to eat?"

Jackie shakes her head, slowly. "I just want to sleep."

"You can sleep in my room if you want." Hyde tells her even though they know she doesn't need permission.

"Thank you." She says, leaving.

Moments later, Fez and Kelso all come up the stairs. Kelso's head is low and he's shaking it sadly.

"What's with him?" Hyde asks.

"Jackie didn't say hello to him." Fez answers.

"Man, I wish I was still a police officer." Kelso snaps. "I'd go in there and kick his ass."

"Get in line." Eric tells him. "I can count at least four people who are ahead of you." Pointing to Hyde, his father, Bob and himself.

"Make that Five." Fez says.

"Six." Donna says, crossing her arms.

"Seven." Kitty says.

"Actually you'd be eight." Hyde tells her. "On account that I'd go twice."

This gets a small smile from Donna as she stands up. "I'll be right back; I just want to check on her."

The others don't say anything.

_Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday- New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle._

When Donna finds Jackie in Hyde's room, she's high as a kite and lost in a fit of giggles. The smoke blinds Donna's eyes for a moment and she can feel herself get high just off the smoke alone.

"Jackie?" She asks the cackling girl. "Are you smoking?"

Jackie giggles and holds up Steven's stash. "I was looking for a shirt to wear and found this."

Donna grabs the bag and looks inside. "Did you smoke the whole thing?"

Jackie puts her finger on her lips, "Shhh!"

"Oh shit." Donna says, taking the hot pipe from Jackie's fingers. "Shit, this is bad."

"No, not bad, Donna." Jackie shakes her head like a little kid.

"Jackie, you can't smoke this much, you're… small and also, Hyde's going to kill you."

"Pppht." Jackie says, waving her hand dismissively, "Steven, won't do anything. He loves me."

Donna wasn't going to argue with that point. "He's still going to be angry that you hurt yourself."

Jackie shakes her head again, "Woo, I got to stop doing that." She steadies herself before looking at Donna. "You have a really big forehead."

Donna decides to ignore that comment and sits next to Jackie on the cot.

"Well?" Jackie asks impatiently.

"Well what?" Donna responds.

"Are you going to sit there and just hold Steven's pipe or are you going to smoke it?"

Donna hesitates for a second before deciding that she can't let Jackie be high alone. She takes a hit and leans back against the wall.

A short time later, the girls are laughing about absolutely nothing. Everything is funny, and for a second, Donna can't remember why they're there.

Oh right, Jackie's parents.

"I'm really hungry." Jackie complains suddenly.

"We can't go up stairs." Donna tells her. "The Forman's are up there."

"Huh." Jackie thinks. "What about The Hub?"

"You really want to go to The Hub?" Donna asks. Even high, she's conscious of the fact that people are going to want to know what happened, will want to ask Jackie questions, will say things that Jackie just isn't prepared to deal with now.

"Yes." Jackie says. "Now get your big lumberjack feet up and let's go."

The girls hold each other as they leave through the basement door. Donna takes a look in to the kitchen and sees Eric and Hyde talking. She gets Jackie into the cruiser and tells her to wait before she goes to the kitchen door and knocks on the glass.

Eric opens the door and instantly sees Donna's red eyes. "Are you…?" he asks.

Donna grins at her boyfriend and turns to Hyde. "Jackie found your stash."

"Shit." Is all he says. "How much?"

"All of it…I shared the last with her."

Hyde mutters something under his breath.

"Anyway, we're going to The Hub."

"What?" They both hiss at her. "You can't go there!"

Donna shrugs, "Jackie wants to go…so that's what we're doing." She leaves no room for argument.

"Fine." Eric concedes. "We'll go with you."

"Where are Kelso and Fez?"

"Went to Fez's, I think." Hyde says, "I wasn't really listening."

Jackie's singing with the radio when the others get into the car. She's either unaware the others are watching her, or she doesn't care.

"Hands!" she grabs Eric's hand. "Touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you!" "Sing!"

"Uhh." Eric says, looking at Hyde and Donna for help.

Jackie's already singing the chorus. "I've been inclined…" she looks at Eric pointedly.

Eric gives up, "to believe they never would."

The two start to get into it together and finally begin to sing in unison. "Sweet Caroline!" Eric sings loudly.

"Bah bah bah!" Donna joins in.

Hyde just watches. "Forman, stop being a girl and drive already."

Jackie nods, "Yeah, drive. I'm starving!"

_My only comfort is the night gone black- Garbage, I'm Only Happy when it Rains._

Jackie's still blazing when they enter The Hub. Their usual table is empty and Hyde drags Jackie over to the booth before she can stop him.

"But I need to order." She complains.

"Tell Forman what you want." Hyde orders.

"Fine, I want…get me one of everything." She decides.

"Uh, everything?" Eric asks hesitantly. "Um…"

Jackie holds up her purse and pulls out a large wad of cash. "I've got money." She says, "If that's what you're worried about. Just get one of everything, and whatever you guys want as well. My treat." She hands Eric the cash.

Eric looks at Hyde for help, but he's too busy glaring at the bunch of busy bodies who are pointing at their table and whispering.

"Right." Eric says, "One of everything it is."

As he walks away, Jackie calls out to him, "And a vanilla milkshake!"

"Got it!" Eric replies.

He and Donna walk up to the counter. "What do you want?" the surly short order cook asks.

Eric looks at Donna and back at cook. "One of everything."

"That's a joke, right?"

Eric and Donna shake their heads. "Nope, we want one of everything."

"Fine…that all?"

"Not remotely." Eric says, "We'll also take three more double chili dogs, two orders of chili cheese fries, four cokes, and a vanilla milk shake."

The man leans over the window and looks at the booth. "There's only four of you."

"And?" Donna asks. "Just make us our damn food."

The man knows to back off. "Fine…"

Donna gives the man another glare and then takes Eric back to the booth after Eric pays.

He gives Jackie the rest of her money and she stuffs it back into her purse. Eric then leans in toward Hyde.

"How long have they been staring?"

"Since we got here." Hyde answers.

"Well, I wish they'd just come up and say something instead of sitting there like cowards." Jackie remarks. "Where's my damn food?"

The other three look at Jackie in shock.

"What?" she asks. "I'm depressed, and when I get depressed, I eat. Skinny girl with fat girl problems, remember?"

There's a small snicker from the group watching them. "Don't know why." One of them mutters softly but loud enough to be heard, "Mommy probably left a good size life insurance policy for you."

"If she didn't drink it all away." Another one comments.

Hyde's already on his feet but they're interrupted by the short order cook saying that some of their food is ready.

"Finally!" Jackie jumps up and runs to the counter with the other's following her. They all grab as much as they can.

"She really gonna eat all that?" One of the on lookers asks.

Another one, one of the popular girls who's always had it in for Jackie makes the motion of sticking her finger in her mouth. And the other nods understandingly.

"Ignore them." Eric tells Hyde. "We can't hit girls."

"I can." Donna says, loudly.

Jackie waves them off, her mouth full of food, she swallows. "Please, that rumor has been going around me since tenth grade."

"I didn't know that." Hyde says.

Jackie shrugs, "That's because you never paid attention to what happened with the popular crowd, but, I know everything." She mouths the word everything again to the crowd.

Eric can't help but laugh, "Like what?"

Jackie turns to her geeky friend and grins, "Well, like the time Stacey Livingston here," she nods at the girl who made the bulimia comment. "Gave Mark Thompson a hand job but squeezed his thing too tight."

The guys all wince. "Oww."

"Yeah, well… at least my dad didn't kill my mother." Stacey has nothing else to say.

"Or how about Luke," Jackie ignores Stacey and points to the guy who made the remark about her mother drinking away Jackie's finances, "and how the only way he could lose his virginity was to pay a hooker."

"Damn, even Fez didn't do that." Hyde says. He knows that Jackie is hurting, beyond all measure, but she's fighting like the way his Jackie would. It gives him hope.

"Fucking bitch." Luke spits.

Hyde stands up from the booth. "That's it."

One of the others, a guy named Alex laughs. "Oh that's good, you're going to be Burkie's knight in rusted armor now? Everyone knows what you did to her."

"Yeah, good job." Another guy nods. "It was funny when Kelso kept cheating on her, but marrying a stripper behind her back! That's classic man."

"I especially liked the part where she was passed off to the foreign kid." Alex states.

_All the world's your ashtray, I'm just your Marlboro.- Artificial Joy Club, Sick and Beautiful._

Red sighed as he looked through the bars into the jail cell where his kids were sitting.

"Eric?" He says finally.

"Dad." Eric replies. "Good to see you."

"What are you four doing in here?"

"Uhh… well, we went to The Hub."

Red can feel himself get mad. The kids should have known better than to go to that place now.

"I know, I know!" Eric says as though he can read his father's mind, "But Jackie… she really wanted to go and we knew we couldn't stop her so we went with her."

"Right." Red responds.

"Uh, and then, well there were some kids there… and they said some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Uh," Eric looks back at Jackie hesitantly. She's ignoring him though. Finally he leans in though the bars and whispers into his dad's ear.

Red glances over at Jackie and Hyde. "They said that?"

"Yeah."

"You're paying me back for this." Red says. "Be grateful I'm not going to charge interest."

Eric nods, gratefully.

_I would give my life just for a little death- Melissa Etheridge, Angels Would Fall._

When one has time on their hands, and is able to look back and reflect on what's he done, one often finds they have regrets.

Jack Burkhart regrets not being able to shoot his daughter and then himself. It would have been beautiful, poetic even. Finally, they would have been a real family.

_Tell me sexy, loving lines. Dolly Parton, It's All Wrong but it's Alright._

"You okay?" Hyde asks Jackie as they slip into his bed.

"Perfect." Jackie answers, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Jackie, you can't…"

Jackie silences him with a kiss. "I can, I will, and I am."

He knows it's wrong. This isn't the way it's supposed to happen, but he's missed her like mad and it's felt, right, almost too right to just be near her again and he can't stop himself from giving in.

_I've found you strength in your moments of weakness-Rascal Flatts, I'm Moving On_

"I'm sorry." Donna tells her boyfriend as they sit on top of the Vista Cruiser together.

"For what?" Eric asks. He wasn't aware Donna had done anything wrong.

"For pushing, for not pushing, for making you leave, for making you come back, for all of it."

"Oh, that." Eric says, "I know you want to blame yourself for what happened, but you can't, it's not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Donna asks. "Isn't it?"

"You didn't kill Jackie's mom." Eric reminds her.

"I know." Donna snaps, "But, this past year while you were gone, it was like we were all completely different people. I was different. I'm just worried."

"Hey, it's not like Jackie's alone right?" Eric says to comfort her.

_ The electric sheep are dreaming up your fate-Incubus, Talk Shows On Mute  
_

Jackie lay in Hyde's arms, wide awake as he slept peacefully beside her. She longed for sleep.

If only the screaming would stop.

* * *

I don't know when part three will be up, but hopefully soon. Chunks of it are written, I just have to make it flow. And I have to find the proper lyrics to go with each section. This is not an easy fic to write!

Thanks for the reviews; you guys are made of rock!


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